Furious shoppers have vowed never to go to a Bristol shopping centre after increasing numbers were given parking tickets by ‘over-zealous’ new wardens.

The arrival of parking attendants to enforce the rules at the multi-storey car park at Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle has sparked a backlash, with shoppers and locals sharing stories of how they were given tickets for only minor infringements.

The car park is free for two hours, but in May, shopping centre bosses took on a parking services firm called Care Parking to enforce the rules about people parking within the marked bays.

But larger modern cars are too big to fit in the bays close to pillars, and shopping centre bosses have advised them to park on the roof instead.

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Centre manager Tim Moloney said there had been an increasing number of complaints from shoppers – particularly from parents and disabled people – about cars being parked across the lines, making it harder for other people to park.

The sign at the Broadwalk Shopping Centre car park

Care Parking, which is the trading name for a company called Anchor Care Parking, put up notices warning of a £100 parking charge, which is reduced to £60 if paid within a fortnight, specifically for parking in disabled bays without a badge, in parent & child spaces without a child, not parking within the bays and overstaying.

But dozens of people have taken to social media to complain that they received tickets unreasonably.

They said tickets have been issued for cars with one tyre on the line, at a time when the car park was largely empty. Those complaining have also pointed out that in many areas of the car park the painted bays either are not straight, or are too small for larger, modern cars.

They also point out the bays are often next to pillars, which mean if you park within the bay you can’t then physically get out of your car, and in some parts of the car park the bays have been painted over, with new bays painted in different places, making the job of telling which is a marked bay and which isn’t difficult

Grandmother Tracy Hawkins said she was boycotting Broadwalk because of the ticket she received.

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“The two car seats fitted need a bit of extra space to get the boys in and out of the car safely, and the mother and baby area was full as usual.

“I will no longer be using the facilities and my friends and family will no longer be using the bingo hall either, which we went to at least once a week.

“I feel it is important to point out all they will be doing is losing business customers with these frankly ridiculous parking fines,” she added.

Tony Coll said it was ‘outrageous’. He was given a ticket when his car was parked ‘outside a marked bay’, with one wheel sticking over the painted line – on the top floor of an otherwise largely empty car park.

Tony Coll received a parking ticket for parking on the line in an empty car park at Broadwalk Shopping Centre

“This is outrageous. I am just going through the appeal at the moment, £60 for parking not quite in the proper bay, in an empty car park on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon,” he said.

Mum of two Nicola Elles said she queried getting a ticket for parking over the edge of the line at the time.

“I had no choice but to park in a normal space, but over the line slightly so I could get my children out,” she said.

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“Needless to say I was fuming to come back to my car to see that fine on it.

“I called over the warden, asked her why she done it as my car is clearly marked that I have children, plus the two car seats are clearly visible in the back of my car.

Tony Coll got a ticket for parking on the line in an empty car park

“It’s a flipping joke them patrolling the car park. It’s a free car park and there is a soft play there, so you would have thought more parent and child parking was available,” she added.

Centre manager Tim Moloney said he understood customers’ feelings on the issue, and advised anyone with a larger car to park on the roof, where there are no pillars.

“We asked for a firm called Anchor Care Parking Services to come in, because we were receiving complaints from customers parking their cars that they couldn’t do so because other cars were overstaying, parked across two bays, or in the parent and child area without children.

Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Knowle (Image: Google)

“The parking bays themselves are pretty standard, but the nature of the car park is a 1970s build and there are pillars on the bays.

"If you’ve got a larger car, you could have problems accessing it because of the pillars,” he said.

“We accept that, and there’s a further 200 spaces on the roof where there aren’t any pillars, and if it’s an issue, we suggest you park up there.

“There is an appeal service and Anchor are not unsympathetic by any means,” he added.